CVE-2022-0185-Analysis-and-Exploit

Research and proof-of-concept for CVE-2022-0185 Linux kernel heap overflow vulnerability.

CVE-2022-0185 – Linux Kernel Heap Overflow Analysis Overview

CVE-2022-0185 is a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel’s filesystem context implementation. The issue exists in the legacy_parse_param() function and can allow local privilege escalation under certain configurations.

CVE ID: CVE-2022-0185

Component: Linux kernel filesystem context

Vulnerability type: Heap buffer overflow

Attack vector: Local

Impact: Privilege escalation

Author: Sandesh Pantha Project Type: Security Research and Educational Demonstration

Official references:

NVD entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-0185

Openwall advisory: https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/18/7

Linux kernel fix commit: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=722d94847de29310e8aa03fcbdb41fc92c521756

Vulnerability Root Cause

The vulnerability is caused by improper bounds checking when parsing filesystem parameters via the fsconfig() system call.

In legacy_parse_param():

User-controlled data is appended to an internal buffer

The size calculation does not properly prevent overflow

Repeated calls can cause heap memory corruption

This results in an out-of-bounds write into adjacent heap objects, which can potentially lead to:

Kernel memory corruption

Information disclosure

Use-after-free conditions

Privilege escalation

Affected versions include Linux kernels prior to:

5.11.0

5.16.2

5.15.16

5.10.93

Research Focus

This project demonstrates:

Filesystem context creation using fsopen()

Parameter injection through fsconfig()

Kernel heap spraying techniques

Message queue based heap grooming

Socket buffer spraying

Controlled object reuse patterns

The goal of this repository is educational: understanding kernel heap behavior and vulnerability exploitation methodology in a controlled lab environment.

Lab Environment

Testing should only be performed in an isolated virtual machine.

Recommended setup:

Ubuntu 20.04 or Debian with a vulnerable kernel

QEMU or VirtualBox

Snapshot enabled before testing

Non-production environment

Never run this on production systems.

Mitigation

The vulnerability was fixed by correcting the bounds validation logic in legacy_parse_param().

Mitigation steps:

Upgrade to a patched kernel version

Disable unprivileged user namespaces where possible

Monitor for abnormal filesystem context activity

Kernel versions containing the fix:

5.16.2

5.15.16

5.10.93

Patch reference: https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git/

What This Project Demonstrates

Deep understanding of Linux kernel internals

Heap memory layout awareness

Kernel object lifecycle manipulation

Secure vulnerability research methodology

Responsible disclosure practices

Ethical Use

This project is provided for educational and defensive security research purposes only.

Do not attempt to use this knowledge on systems without explicit authorization.